Cape Coral manatee drug to boat ramp by state wildlife officers

A manatee that was tied up to a boat dock at the Cape Coral Yacht Club Tuesday was retrieved by state biologists and was not part of a plant, as some people on social media have suggested. 

The incident occurred while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was holding a meeting to talk about Lake Okeechobee water releases and local water quality. 

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission pulled the dead manatee from the waters. 

"The manatee was brought over to the boat ramp by FWC law enforcement, so our rescue staff could take the manatee for necropsy," said FWC spokeswoman Michelle Kerr. 

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Others on social media speculated that the dead female had a calf that was trying to cling to her body. 

That's not the case, either, Kerr said. 

"They were right around here when she was found and when she was transported out of the water," she said. "Manatees will continue to try to mate with a dead manatee." 

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